Jeffery Edwards-Knight
Charlotte, NC
Jeffery Edwards-Knight has been living with HIV for more than 30 years and is committed every day to making life easier for individuals who are newly diagnosed with HIV. He works in the testing ,outreach and PrEP Initiative programs for Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, coaching newly diagnosed people through the difficult early days of being positive, accompanying them to doctors’ offices, and serving as support during a time of serious change. He works largely with young Black men, and he knows that the combination of a lack of understanding around HIV, a lack of local nondiscrimination laws, and systemic anti-Black racism can make it especially challenging for folks to live freely and get the care they deserve.
“The fight for better understanding and treatment for people living with HIV in North Carolina is personal for me,” Jeffery said. “I know what it feels like to be treated differently because of my status. Many years ago, visiting my mother for her birthday, I suddenly became sick, requiring a trip to an emergency room. Over the course of the appointment the physician learned that I am gay and HIV-positive. Visibly uncomfortable, he left the room. When he returned, he stood at the back of the room and talked to me from there. His tone and approach changed the minute he learned of my status and put both physical and figurative distance between us.”
“Yes, that was a long time ago,” he continues. “But subtle experiences like that have shaped my approach to seeking standard health care, making me fear that if I go somewhere new, the provider could be judgmental or outright discriminatory because of my sexual orientation and HIV status.”
Jeffery feels energized by the renewed conversation across North Carolina about protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. He remembers feeling proud when Charlotte passed its LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in 2016 – and then shocked at the cruelty of the North Carolina General Assembly’s rushed passage of HB2 to preempt the ordinance. Now he’s joining thousands across Charlotte and throughout the state in calling on lawmakers to again pass nondiscrimination ordinances protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. “My hope is that residents of Charlotte realize that LGBTQ rights aren’t special rights,” he said. “These are rights every individual deserves regardless of whom they choose to love or be with.”
Join Jeffery in calling for action on LGBTQ protections by clicking here and sending a message to your elected officials.